We're gonna need some bigger pants: Sweet new dessert trends

It seems like nowadays, you can’t turn a corner without seeing a new frozen yogurt shop popping up, but before you fill your bowl to the brim with sprinkles and cherries, there’s a new slew of treats sure to tickle your taste buds. Sorry self-serve goodness, specialty doughnuts, shakes and even booze-filled creations are making a buzz on the dessert scene. Don’t ‘cha know, doughnuts are the real deal We all know Dunkin’ Donuts and Krispy Kreme, and they have their loyal fans, but the new crop of doughnut shops sprouting are not your average glazed creations. These gourmet donuts are chef-inspired, culinary masterpieces. [caption id="attachment_7463" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Fresh Strawberry N Cream"][/caption] Atlanta-based Sublime Doughnuts offers unique flavor combinations and creativity from chef Kamal Grant, as he pushes the boundaries to make crazy concoctions. The most popular doughnut is the Fresh Strawberry N Cream, a powdered sugar-dusted doughnut featuring fresh strawberries in the middle, topped off with strawberry frosting. The rest of the options are also above and beyond interesting - the Oreo Ice Cream Burger, a frosted and crushed Oreo topped doughnut filled with Oreo ice cream; a Salted Caramel and Reduced Balsamic Vinegar option; and a Sweet Potato Cake are simply a few of the nearly 30 varieties. Grant, along with his thousands of loyal fans throughout Atlanta, believes doughnuts will be the nation’s next favorite treat, whether it’s morning or night. Demand for his own sweet snacks caused Grant to extend his store hours, as popularity for the doughy treats spiked at all times of the day. "Doughnuts are American and the backbone of this country. Now people like me are jazzing them up and breathing new life into new flavors that the masses love,” Grant said. Shakes to shake up your day No matter if you want to enjoy one with your meal or wait until the end, the days of simple chocolate, vanilla or strawberry shakes as your only indulgence are long gone. Because of this new dessert trend, burger joints and fast casual restaurants have recently been paying more attention to their shake menus. “Shakes, just like our burgers and concept in general, are all about customizing how you like it and how you want it,” said Alexis Barnett Gillette, director of marketing at MOOYAH, a fast-casual burger joint based out of Texas. “If you want a chocolate shake and you want to add M&Ms and cookie dough, we can do that. We want to give you the perfect treat.” [caption id="attachment_7471" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Custom shakes"][/caption] MOOYAH lists 14 flavors on their menu, but the possibilities easily multiply depending on your mood or taste. Let your imagination run wild and make your own creations like a Mocha Butterfinger or Mint Chocolate Chip Oreo shake to brighten your day. Steak ‘N Shake is another franchise with a sweet menu of options. Going above and beyond the classic milkshake flavors, they also including Side by Side milkshakes, which let you customize from Banocolate™ to Strawnilla™. But the real eyebrow raisers are found in the specialty section. How can you go wrong with a Turtle Caramel Nut, Chocolate Fudge Brownie or a Chocolate Fudge Strawberry Shake? It’s obvious there is a place for shakes, but the real question is- who is going to push the envelope by making them for adults-only? Shakin’ it up with liquor Here’s the best creation to come along since sliced bread. Now we’re not only looking at unique specialty shake flavors, but bonus, there’s booze inside! BLT Burger in New York, Las Vegas and Hong Kong offers five specialty Spiked Milkshakes including the Aztec Mocha, featuring Milagro tequila, coffee ice cream, cayenne pepper and chocolate syrup.  But the restaurant doesn’t stop there; they have an additional four Adult Floats like the Cuba Libre, made with Bacardi Silver rum, Boylan’s Cane cola, vanilla ice cream and garnished with a lime wedge. Costing $11-$12, the price of BLT Burger’s specialty cocktails allows patrons to enjoy both an alcoholic drink and dessert for just the price of one. The adult milkshakes sound scrumptious, but from a business standpoint, they also make dollars and sense. If a restaurant has the capability and the liquor license, they can easily raise the tab. Both T.G.I. Fridays and Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, two well-known and visible players in the casual restaurant sector, have both opted to offer milkshakes with booze or beer. Not only are the big restaurant contenders jumping on the boozy bandwagon, but many mom-and-pop, contemporary and upscale restaurants are starting to offer customers a buzz with their own unique shake creations. Lucky for us, dessert possibilities are now endless no matter what your craving, making days taste a little bit sweeter.